1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:04,280 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly 3 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 1: Frye and I'm Tracy V. Welson. It's a History Mystery Day. Yay. 4 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:24,280 Speaker 1: These are fun. This is the thing that some people 5 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:26,680 Speaker 1: use this like a Halloween episode. That doesn't feel right 6 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: to me. I'll talk about why. In nineteen forty four, though, 7 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:33,559 Speaker 1: a small town in Illinois was gripped with fear that 8 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:37,080 Speaker 1: there was a person spraying a toxic gas into their 9 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:40,520 Speaker 1: homes as they slept. And while there have been several 10 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:42,960 Speaker 1: explanations of what exactly was going on, there is not 11 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:46,839 Speaker 1: any one explanation that's recognized or accepted as the truth. 12 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:50,640 Speaker 1: So it will stay a mystery. But the mystery perpetrator, 13 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:53,320 Speaker 1: if there was one, got a lot of nicknames in 14 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: the press, including the gas Fiend, the thin Man of Mattoon, 15 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: the Mad Phantom, the mad Gasser, the Anesthetist Prowler, and 16 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:05,400 Speaker 1: the screwball Chemist, among others. And the thing that's really 17 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:08,480 Speaker 1: fascinating about this entire thing to me is that it 18 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:11,959 Speaker 1: is a story that plays out in a very condensed timeline. 19 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 1: It all happened over the course of just ten days. 20 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:17,760 Speaker 1: So to tell this story, we're mostly going to pull 21 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 1: apart the news coverage of it and then look at 22 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 1: the various explanations that were given both at the time 23 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 1: and in more recent history. So Mattoon, Illinois was a 24 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: relatively small community in nineteen forty four. It had a 25 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:36,880 Speaker 1: population of about eighteen thousand people that had been founded 26 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 1: in eighteen fifty five as a railroad community at the 27 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 1: place where Illinois Central and the Terre Hate and Alton 28 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:49,120 Speaker 1: railroads crossed. It was named for railroad executive William B. Mattoon, 29 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 1: and as it developed in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, 30 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:56,680 Speaker 1: it continued to be an important shipping center. During the 31 00:01:56,720 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: Second World War, the town also became an oil center. 32 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 1: There were drilling fields opening just outside of the town. 33 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: As we mentioned in the intro, in the fall of 34 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:09,800 Speaker 1: nineteen forty four, the town of Mattoon, Illinois was the 35 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:13,480 Speaker 1: site of a series of very strange reports over the 36 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:17,120 Speaker 1: course of a couple of weeks that September, multiple households 37 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 1: claimed that they had awakened in the night to an 38 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:23,639 Speaker 1: odd odor described by some as sickly sweet, and then 39 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:28,920 Speaker 1: they experienced some odd symptoms like nausea and limnumbness. The 40 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:31,960 Speaker 1: first report was on the front page of the Mattoon 41 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 1: Journal Gazette on September second, nineteen forty four. Under the 42 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 1: headline anesthetic prowler on the loose, it stated quote, A 43 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:44,760 Speaker 1: prowler who used some kind of anesthetic or gas to 44 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 1: knock out his victims was on the loose in Mattoon 45 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:53,639 Speaker 1: Friday night. This first article featured the account of Aileen Kearney, 46 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 1: who was at home with her daughter Dorothy Ellen and 47 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 1: other family members while her husband Bert was at work 48 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 1: a taxi. Eleen's statement to the paper was this quote. 49 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:07,520 Speaker 1: It was shortly after eleven o'clock Friday night when I 50 00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:11,240 Speaker 1: went to bed, taking with me my daughter Dorothy. My sister, 51 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: missus Edgar Reedy, was in the living room with the 52 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,880 Speaker 1: home and my daughter Carol Too and Missus Reedy's son, 53 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: Roger Too, were in another part of the house. I 54 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:23,680 Speaker 1: first noticed a sickening, sweet odor in the bedroom, but 55 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: at the time I thought it might be from flowers 56 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:29,760 Speaker 1: outside the window. However, the odor grew stronger and I 57 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: began to feel a paralysis of my legs and lower body. 58 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:37,960 Speaker 1: I grew frightened and screamed for Martha missus Reedy. When 59 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: Martha Reedy got into the room, she also noticed the odor, 60 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 1: and it seemed to come from outside through an open window. 61 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:48,640 Speaker 1: Reedy called Earl Robinson, the next door neighbor, and Earl 62 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:53,480 Speaker 1: called police. Both Robinson and police searched the Kearney's property. 63 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:58,200 Speaker 1: They found nothing. Bert Kearney was contacted. He immediately went home. 64 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:02,360 Speaker 1: Mister Kearney got there around twelve thirty am, and as 65 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:05,200 Speaker 1: he pulled up, he saw quote a man at the 66 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:09,880 Speaker 1: window wearing dark clothes and a tight fitting cap. Bert 67 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 1: Kearney chased this man, who evaded him, and then he 68 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 1: called the police, but the police could not find anyone 69 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:20,280 Speaker 1: matching the description when they searched that neighborhood. The Kearney's 70 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 1: and the Readys left the house and stayed with another relative. 71 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:28,240 Speaker 1: Helen Kearney's symptoms subsided pretty quickly. Within thirty minutes of 72 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 1: the first onset. Their daughter Dorothy, was totally fine by 73 00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:36,560 Speaker 1: the morning. That first report offered up an assortment of 74 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:40,200 Speaker 1: theories about what had happened exactly and what the motive 75 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:42,719 Speaker 1: may have been for someone to target the Kearney home. 76 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 1: The guesses as to the nature of the gas included 77 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:49,760 Speaker 1: it possibly being chloroform or ether, and the police thought 78 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 1: it was probably sprayed into the room quote in a 79 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 1: fine mist. The paper also stated that Missus Kearney and 80 00:04:56,560 --> 00:05:00,480 Speaker 1: Missus Reedy had been counting quote considerable sums of money 81 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:02,800 Speaker 1: that evening in a location in the house which could 82 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 1: be seen from the street. I don't know about you, 83 00:05:05,279 --> 00:05:07,600 Speaker 1: but that seemed really odd to me, but it was 84 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:11,800 Speaker 1: offered as a possible motive. But it turned out the 85 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:14,960 Speaker 1: keirne Ham was not actually the first one to have 86 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:20,600 Speaker 1: experienced this odd smell accompanied by temporary limb paralysis. The 87 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:23,160 Speaker 1: Kearneys were just the first ones who went to the press. 88 00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 1: On September fifth, the Journal Gazette ran a story titled 89 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 1: Anesthetic Prowler covers City. This opened with quote, the scope 90 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:36,520 Speaker 1: of the activities of Mattoon's Anesthetic Prowler ranges across the 91 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:40,960 Speaker 1: entire city. It was disclosed today as four more cases, 92 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 1: including one several months old, were brought to light. This 93 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:49,120 Speaker 1: account listed as the newly accounted for victims Urban Raife 94 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:52,520 Speaker 1: and his family and Lyssa's home address of eighteen seventeen 95 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:56,400 Speaker 1: Grant Avenue, missus George Ryder and her two children, Joe 96 00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 1: and Anne Marie, and a woman and children who lived 97 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:03,440 Speaker 1: near of writers whose names were withheld. It also mentions 98 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:06,800 Speaker 1: Missus Olive Brown and her daughter, Miss Chrissy, who had 99 00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:12,000 Speaker 1: a similar experience several months earlier. The night before the 100 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:15,719 Speaker 1: Kearney home smelled the mystery smell, the RAFs had a 101 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 1: very similar scenario play out at their home. According to 102 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:22,600 Speaker 1: the newspaper quote, mister Raefe said today he and his 103 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:25,719 Speaker 1: wife were made sick by the fumes, which apparently poured 104 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:28,479 Speaker 1: through a bedroom window at their home. He said he 105 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:31,440 Speaker 1: awoke about three o'clock in the morning and felt ill 106 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 1: and as if he were paralyzed. This article goes on 107 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:38,400 Speaker 1: to quote Urban Reef directly saying, quote, there was a 108 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:41,880 Speaker 1: peculiar heavy odor, and I at first thought it was gas. 109 00:06:42,279 --> 00:06:44,320 Speaker 1: I asked my wife if she had left the gas 110 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:47,200 Speaker 1: stove turned on, but she hadn't. We both had the 111 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:50,440 Speaker 1: same feeling of paralysis and were ill for approximately one 112 00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:53,960 Speaker 1: and a half hours. Persons visiting us, who slept in 113 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:56,719 Speaker 1: another part of the house got none of the fumes 114 00:06:56,760 --> 00:07:00,320 Speaker 1: and were not affected in any way. Missus Ran and 115 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:03,720 Speaker 1: her family were apparently affected the same night as the 116 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:08,200 Speaker 1: Kearney home, reported awakening to this sickening, sweet smell that 117 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:13,040 Speaker 1: temporarily impacted their mobility. The story, as it was pieced 118 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:16,120 Speaker 1: together by the paper was that after the perpetrator had 119 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:18,880 Speaker 1: been scared away from the Kearney house, he went to 120 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:23,120 Speaker 1: the Rider home. Missus Ryder noticed the smell in the night, 121 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:26,200 Speaker 1: and when her husband, who worked nights, got home in 122 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:29,680 Speaker 1: the morning, she told him she had smelled something that 123 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 1: did not smell like chloroform, but which had made her 124 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:36,560 Speaker 1: light headed. It's not established why she would know what 125 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 1: chloroform smelled like. The third home in that article, the 126 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:42,520 Speaker 1: one that was not disclosed by name in the write up, 127 00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:46,320 Speaker 1: reported more severe reactions. When the woman of the house 128 00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:49,000 Speaker 1: was awakened by the smell, she discovered that her children 129 00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:53,840 Speaker 1: were quote ill and vomiting. Olive Brown told the paper 130 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 1: that when she experienced the smell and its effects, she 131 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: didn't tell anyone because quote, it seemed so fantastic, But 132 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:05,360 Speaker 1: once she saw the other reports that were so similar 133 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:08,320 Speaker 1: to hers, she shared that she and her daughter, while 134 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:12,920 Speaker 1: sleeping in separate rooms, had almost identical stories to that 135 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:16,320 Speaker 1: of ailing Kearney. The police had been putting together a 136 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:19,600 Speaker 1: theory based on the Kearney incident when the other victims 137 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:24,200 Speaker 1: came forward, and that, along with two sightings of prowlers, 138 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:28,040 Speaker 1: according to the police, that all changed the case. Two 139 00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:31,040 Speaker 1: days later, the Times Tribune of Scranton, Pennsylvania ran a 140 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:33,920 Speaker 1: short piece that said that the quote anesthetic prowler who 141 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:37,480 Speaker 1: sprays a sickeningly sweet gas through the screens of bedroom 142 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 1: windows was believed by police to have fled the excited 143 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:45,840 Speaker 1: community of eighteen thousand. The authorities came to that conclusion, 144 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:48,200 Speaker 1: at least, according to the paper, because they had searched 145 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:50,840 Speaker 1: the town and had quote failed to reveal a trace 146 00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:54,400 Speaker 1: of the loan suspect. That article also mentions that the 147 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 1: prowler had not entered any homes and that there was 148 00:08:56,880 --> 00:09:01,400 Speaker 1: no solid theory on motive. Well, pause for a sponsor break, 149 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:04,360 Speaker 1: and when we come back, we'll talk about another article 150 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:07,480 Speaker 1: that came out the same day but painted a very 151 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:20,160 Speaker 1: different picture. So that article that we talked about before 152 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:23,400 Speaker 1: the break is wildly different in tone from another that 153 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:27,240 Speaker 1: appeared on the same day, September seventh, in the Chicago Tribune. 154 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:32,400 Speaker 1: That second article was titled intensify hunt for paralysis gas 155 00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 1: prowler Matoon orders police on twenty four hour watch. Why 156 00:09:37,559 --> 00:09:40,640 Speaker 1: was the reporting so different, It's unclear, but it seems 157 00:09:40,679 --> 00:09:43,960 Speaker 1: like the first story was filed before a new development 158 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:46,840 Speaker 1: in the case that took place on September sixth, because 159 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:51,240 Speaker 1: that night, a Mattoon couple, Carl and Beulah Cords, found 160 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:55,760 Speaker 1: a strange cloth on their porch, presumably not thinking it 161 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:58,000 Speaker 1: could be related to the gas spray that had been 162 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:00,960 Speaker 1: in the news. Missus Corda's picked up the rag and 163 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:04,880 Speaker 1: sniffed it. What actually happened to her when she did 164 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:08,040 Speaker 1: this is reported with varying degrees of severity depending on 165 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:12,040 Speaker 1: which paper you read. In the Evening World Harald of Omaha, Nebraska, 166 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:15,880 Speaker 1: it was stated that missus Corda's quote suffered burns about 167 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:18,080 Speaker 1: the lips and throat when she sniffed a rag that 168 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:22,319 Speaker 1: she found on her porch. The Chicago Tribune gave more details, 169 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:25,400 Speaker 1: stating Quote Corda's reported to police that he and his 170 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:28,040 Speaker 1: wife returned to their homes last night about ten o'clock 171 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:31,600 Speaker 1: and entered the house by the back door. Missus Cordoes 172 00:10:31,679 --> 00:10:34,200 Speaker 1: opened the front door and noticed a large white cloth 173 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:37,120 Speaker 1: lying on the porch, she smelled the cloth and at 174 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:41,440 Speaker 1: once became violently ill. Her lips and face became swollen 175 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:44,600 Speaker 1: and inflamed, and she was unable to speak. This condition 176 00:10:44,679 --> 00:10:47,800 Speaker 1: persisted for two hours. There are also accounts that say 177 00:10:47,880 --> 00:10:50,280 Speaker 1: she was hospitalized, but not all of them say that 178 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:56,560 Speaker 1: so unclear. So, regardless of the severity of Beula Cordas's symptoms, 179 00:10:56,600 --> 00:11:00,240 Speaker 1: there still was no sign of an actual person who 180 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:03,800 Speaker 1: may have left this cloth behind. But Carl and Bula 181 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:07,720 Speaker 1: Courtis did find two other things, either on the porch 182 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:10,760 Speaker 1: or close to it on the lawn. There was a 183 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:16,080 Speaker 1: skeleton key and an empty lipstick tube. Reports suggested that 184 00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:20,400 Speaker 1: the perpetrator had quote dropped these articles in flight. Once 185 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:23,400 Speaker 1: the Courtis home became part of the story, the Mattoon 186 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:26,720 Speaker 1: Police asked the Illinois Department of Public Safety for help 187 00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:30,600 Speaker 1: with the case. I have to admit that I always 188 00:11:30,679 --> 00:11:34,960 Speaker 1: wonder if a random bird or something had not dropped 189 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:40,680 Speaker 1: those like the presumption that someone dropped it while fleeing. Yes, 190 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:43,760 Speaker 1: just that it's a presumption, and it's reported as though 191 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:47,040 Speaker 1: this must be what happened. It's the fact complination that's 192 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:50,000 Speaker 1: some weird pair of items for a person to just 193 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:54,800 Speaker 1: have to drop in flight. Yes. And as things played 194 00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:57,920 Speaker 1: out and more and more reports were made, people around 195 00:11:57,920 --> 00:12:00,760 Speaker 1: the country and even around the world in some cases, 196 00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:04,040 Speaker 1: became more and more fascinated with this story, and people 197 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:07,880 Speaker 1: in Mattoon started to get more and more scared. On Friday, 198 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:11,800 Speaker 1: September eighth, a Long Beach, California paper, The Independent, reported 199 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:17,040 Speaker 1: that quote, insomnia in Mattoon tonight was easily understandable. The 200 00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:19,560 Speaker 1: paper described how the town had gone into a total 201 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:23,120 Speaker 1: state of lockdown, mentioning that quote an open first floor 202 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:26,240 Speaker 1: bedroom window was harder to find than a pair of nylons. 203 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:29,040 Speaker 1: Just in case you need a refresher. That quip was 204 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:31,840 Speaker 1: referencing the fact that because of the war, all nylon 205 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:35,040 Speaker 1: was allocated for things like parachutes, and people who would 206 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:40,320 Speaker 1: normally where nylons had to go without. Residents of Matune, though, 207 00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:42,800 Speaker 1: were so frightened about this whole thing that they started 208 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:46,840 Speaker 1: banding together in patrol groups. No one stayed home alone, 209 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:49,880 Speaker 1: and groups of friends worked out arrangements to all stay 210 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:53,680 Speaker 1: together in each other's homes at night. And articles appeared 211 00:12:53,720 --> 00:12:57,760 Speaker 1: in the Times Herald of Port Huron, Michigan on September ninth, 212 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:02,640 Speaker 1: titled Madman of Meta Tune. Two more are victims of 213 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:08,240 Speaker 1: Phantom Prowler. This particular article really makes clear how scared 214 00:13:08,440 --> 00:13:11,880 Speaker 1: and frustrated people were starting to feel. It mentions that 215 00:13:11,920 --> 00:13:15,920 Speaker 1: one of the recent victims who chose to remain unnamed publicly, 216 00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:19,840 Speaker 1: was a school principle and a woman, so it seems 217 00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:21,600 Speaker 1: like it would have been pretty easy to figure out 218 00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:24,880 Speaker 1: who that was for members of the community. But the 219 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:28,120 Speaker 1: story transitions to say that the high school laboratory in 220 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:32,240 Speaker 1: town was missing a box of chemicals and that police 221 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:34,720 Speaker 1: were trying to trace it to figure out where it went. 222 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:38,240 Speaker 1: Heads up that the quote that I'm about to read 223 00:13:38,559 --> 00:13:41,679 Speaker 1: villainizes mental illness, but it shows that the public was 224 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 1: starting to see the perpetrator almost as a caricature. This 225 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:48,480 Speaker 1: article read quote school officials said a student might have 226 00:13:48,520 --> 00:13:51,000 Speaker 1: taken the chemicals, or they might be in the possession 227 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:55,120 Speaker 1: of a former teacher. Authorities believe that anesthetic is being 228 00:13:55,160 --> 00:13:58,880 Speaker 1: produced by an insane person with a knowledge of chemistry, 229 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:03,200 Speaker 1: perhaps in a weird laboratory in his home. According to 230 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:06,680 Speaker 1: The Times, Harold State's Attorney William Kidwell was urging the 231 00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:09,800 Speaker 1: Office of Civilian Defense to quote organize a core of 232 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:14,240 Speaker 1: three hundred persons to patrol the streets after dark. On 233 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:18,040 Speaker 1: September twelfth, the Palladium Item of Richmond, Indiana ran a 234 00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:21,600 Speaker 1: story about the gasser under the headline wave of hysteria 235 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:26,240 Speaker 1: hits Mattoon Police Watch amateur Chemist. So this sense of 236 00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:29,440 Speaker 1: the idea that this entire thing was mass hysteria, but 237 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:33,480 Speaker 1: it also clearly states that there was a person of interest. 238 00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:36,160 Speaker 1: It seems that the fact that there was a suspect 239 00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:39,560 Speaker 1: has gotten lost or ignored over the years, because many 240 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:42,880 Speaker 1: stories about the Mattoon gasings that have been written over 241 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:45,600 Speaker 1: the last eight decades make it seem like everyone was 242 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:48,240 Speaker 1: just kind of scratching their heads or even engaging in 243 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:51,080 Speaker 1: the thinking that some sort of supernatural being might be 244 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:56,560 Speaker 1: responsible an unidentifiable phantom and no possible explanation or suspect, 245 00:14:57,280 --> 00:14:59,880 Speaker 1: of course, is a lot more compelling. We're going to 246 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:02,680 Speaker 1: come back to that person of interest. But the idea 247 00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:05,680 Speaker 1: that what was happening in Mattoon was a hoax or 248 00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:09,120 Speaker 1: mass hysteria was starting to be mentioned more and more 249 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:13,800 Speaker 1: by news outlets. As Mattoon newspapers were starting to question 250 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:18,480 Speaker 1: just why the police had virtually no leads. Others started 251 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:22,320 Speaker 1: to wonder if everyone in Matuon was having a collective panic. 252 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:27,360 Speaker 1: On September fourteenth, Time magazine featured the story of Mattoon's 253 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:32,720 Speaker 1: strange gas events, opening with quote, the mad anesthetist of Mattoon, Illinois, 254 00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:36,680 Speaker 1: population seventeen thousand, five hundred is a tall, thin man 255 00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:39,840 Speaker 1: who wears a black skull cap and carries an instrument 256 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:43,080 Speaker 1: not unlike a flit gun. He moves through the night 257 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:46,600 Speaker 1: as nimbly and secretly as a cat, squirting a Swedish 258 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:50,440 Speaker 1: gas through the bedroom windows. His victims cough, awaken with 259 00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:55,040 Speaker 1: burning throats and find themselves successively afflicted with one nausea, 260 00:15:55,320 --> 00:15:59,760 Speaker 1: two a temporary paralysis, and three a desire to describe 261 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:04,240 Speaker 1: their experiences in the minutest detail. This latter result often 262 00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:09,040 Speaker 1: enables them to overcome their symptoms with startling dispatch. As 263 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:12,640 Speaker 1: that opening paragraph suggests, this write up finds the idea 264 00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:16,760 Speaker 1: of a mad gasser running around a town pretty dubious. 265 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:20,000 Speaker 1: It notes that no one has seen this person. It 266 00:16:20,120 --> 00:16:24,320 Speaker 1: mentions that quote Mattoon's ten policemen, who had been ignoring 267 00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:28,400 Speaker 1: the arch criminal now sallied forth that night, seeking they 268 00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:33,320 Speaker 1: knew not what, and not finding it. Time, even skewers 269 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:36,640 Speaker 1: the journalists from Chicago who made their way to Mattune 270 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:40,840 Speaker 1: to write sensationalized articles about the terrifying attacker who remains 271 00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:45,400 Speaker 1: so mysterious. As the idea of people simply being swept 272 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:48,240 Speaker 1: up in their own fear started to circulate more widely, 273 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:52,320 Speaker 1: the police were still getting pressure, and Police Chief c. 274 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:55,640 Speaker 1: Eugene Cole, along with Captain Harry Curtis of the State 275 00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:59,360 Speaker 1: Highway Patrol, issued a statement two days before that time 276 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:02,760 Speaker 1: article Pup, which for some people seemed like it kind 277 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:06,320 Speaker 1: of came out a left field. On September thirteenth, the 278 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:09,800 Speaker 1: Palladium Item reported that Police Chief Coal said that the 279 00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:12,400 Speaker 1: excitement that came from all the reports of a gaser 280 00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:15,920 Speaker 1: on the loose was quote a mistake from beginning to end. 281 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:20,119 Speaker 1: Cole told the press that the culprit was no man 282 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:24,200 Speaker 1: skulking about the Mattoon streets, but a nearby plant, the 283 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:28,840 Speaker 1: Atlas Imperial Diesel Engine Company. According to Harry Curtis, the 284 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:32,199 Speaker 1: entire affair was quote a perfect example of the working 285 00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:35,960 Speaker 1: of mass psychology, in which rumors of a gas spraying prowler, 286 00:17:36,359 --> 00:17:41,000 Speaker 1: spread by a community whispering campaign, blossomed into mass hysteria. 287 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:45,440 Speaker 1: Any instances where people reported they had seen a prowler 288 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:49,639 Speaker 1: were dismissed simply as coincidence. The chemical that caused the 289 00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:53,959 Speaker 1: issue was, according to Coal and Curtis, carbon tetrachloride, and 290 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:56,920 Speaker 1: that was something Atlas they said was using in its 291 00:17:56,920 --> 00:18:02,000 Speaker 1: war work. Carbon tetrachloride is not a naturally occurring chemical. 292 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:05,040 Speaker 1: It has to be manufactured. It's a clear liquid with 293 00:18:05,119 --> 00:18:08,399 Speaker 1: a rapid rate of evaporation, It has a sweet smell, 294 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:11,240 Speaker 1: and it is toxic, so much so that its use, 295 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:16,080 Speaker 1: which was normally in things like pesticide, refrigeration, fluid cleaning supplies, 296 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:20,200 Speaker 1: and fire extinguishers, was completely stopped by nineteen eighty six. 297 00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:26,720 Speaker 1: The symptoms of exposure include headaches, dizziness, sleepiness, nausea, and vomiting. 298 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:30,200 Speaker 1: These symptoms go away quickly if a person is only 299 00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:34,120 Speaker 1: exposed for a short time. Long term exposure has much 300 00:18:34,119 --> 00:18:37,679 Speaker 1: more serious and damaging effects on the body. Though, and 301 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:40,840 Speaker 1: there had been mentioned in the press before this that 302 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:44,240 Speaker 1: Captain Curtis in particular was working on trying to identify 303 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:47,480 Speaker 1: the chemical substance in play in the case. He told 304 00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:49,560 Speaker 1: the press that his team was trying to get victims 305 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:52,240 Speaker 1: to identify the source of the smell they had experienced 306 00:18:52,560 --> 00:18:56,640 Speaker 1: by smelling various chemicals, saying, quote, every person who reported 307 00:18:56,640 --> 00:18:59,080 Speaker 1: a gas attack is being asked to submit to the 308 00:18:59,119 --> 00:19:03,240 Speaker 1: odors of Lewis U sits mustard gas, methyl chloride, tear gas, 309 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:07,280 Speaker 1: and chlorapickrin. Chlora pickrin was the one that Curtis thought 310 00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:10,840 Speaker 1: might be the culprit because it caused similar symptoms, because 311 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:13,440 Speaker 1: it was pretty easy for an amateur chemist to make. 312 00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:17,560 Speaker 1: The investigator who had been instrumental in this theory was 313 00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:20,879 Speaker 1: Richard T. Piper, who was sent sim atune by the 314 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:25,840 Speaker 1: Illinois Criminal Investigation Laboratory. Piper collected the cloth from the 315 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:30,040 Speaker 1: Cortes's porch and made the determination of chloropicrin, though we 316 00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:33,600 Speaker 1: should mention he was not a chemist. According to the 317 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:37,159 Speaker 1: Time magazine article we mentioned earlier, Piper gave himself a 318 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:41,040 Speaker 1: crash course in chemistry and kind of made an educated guess. 319 00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:44,200 Speaker 1: He told the press, quote, it is the strangest case 320 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:47,480 Speaker 1: I have ever encountered in many years of police work. 321 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:51,679 Speaker 1: There were chemists that were consulted, though, and they said 322 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:55,800 Speaker 1: it was probably a hoax. The FBI also got involved 323 00:19:55,840 --> 00:19:58,680 Speaker 1: and tried to track the chemical. Part of the problem 324 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:03,040 Speaker 1: for investigators that while most of them believed some of 325 00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:06,439 Speaker 1: the attacks were real, there were also likely some that 326 00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:10,119 Speaker 1: were false instances born out of fear and panic. So 327 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:14,320 Speaker 1: it became hard to differentiate between what authorities perceived to 328 00:20:14,359 --> 00:20:19,320 Speaker 1: be the real crime scenes versus instances of hysteria because 329 00:20:19,320 --> 00:20:22,480 Speaker 1: they took some calls less seriously than others. There had 330 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:25,679 Speaker 1: also been a growing concern among residents that the whole 331 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:30,040 Speaker 1: thing was being handled badly. But when it came to 332 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:32,959 Speaker 1: that announcement that it was a product of the Atlas plant, 333 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:38,480 Speaker 1: State's attorney William Kidwell immediately denounced that explanation. He told 334 00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:42,040 Speaker 1: the press quote that is simply ridiculous. People working in 335 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:44,879 Speaker 1: the plant haven't been affected, neither have people living in 336 00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:48,440 Speaker 1: houses within seventy five feet of it. I still think 337 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:51,640 Speaker 1: there were some authentic gas cases which were the work 338 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:54,560 Speaker 1: of a prankster or someone with a more serious motive, 339 00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:59,879 Speaker 1: And of course the Atlas Imperial Diesel Engine Company was 340 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:03,560 Speaker 1: not really pleased to suddenly be named in the press 341 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:06,879 Speaker 1: as the cause of people getting sick. The plant's works 342 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:10,680 Speaker 1: manager WJ. Webster also talked to the press and made 343 00:21:10,720 --> 00:21:14,040 Speaker 1: it clear that the determination of Police Chief Call and 344 00:21:14,119 --> 00:21:18,600 Speaker 1: Captain Curtis didn't make any sense given the evidence. He 345 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:21,720 Speaker 1: said that Atlas didn't produce anything that anyone would have 346 00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:26,000 Speaker 1: described as smelling sickly sweet or like Guardinia's and said quote, 347 00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:28,639 Speaker 1: after all, we have to live with any condition in 348 00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:31,359 Speaker 1: our plant. We would be the first to notice and 349 00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:34,960 Speaker 1: be affected by any fumes. In four years, not one 350 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:38,360 Speaker 1: person has been ill at the plant by gas fumes. 351 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:41,960 Speaker 1: He went on, quote, the only carbon tetrachloride we have 352 00:21:42,359 --> 00:21:45,320 Speaker 1: is in the fire extinguishers at the plant. We do 353 00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:49,760 Speaker 1: use another gas, tetrachlorthylene to clean shell casings, but we 354 00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:53,359 Speaker 1: never have had one single case of employees working with 355 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:57,080 Speaker 1: it being made ill. Webster called for the statement made 356 00:21:57,080 --> 00:21:59,280 Speaker 1: by Cole and Curtis to be retracted as it was 357 00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:03,639 Speaker 1: full of falsehood information. The Atlas Imperial Diesel Engine Company 358 00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:07,240 Speaker 1: also issued its own statement, echoing everything Webster had said, 359 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:10,320 Speaker 1: and also noted that an inspector from the State Department 360 00:22:10,359 --> 00:22:13,800 Speaker 1: of Health had visited the plant just before these incidents began, 361 00:22:14,359 --> 00:22:17,320 Speaker 1: and stated after the authorities blamed the plant that quote, 362 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:21,119 Speaker 1: there was no possibility of trichloroethylene vapors getting into the 363 00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:25,160 Speaker 1: outside atmosphere in any amount of concentration that would even 364 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:29,520 Speaker 1: closely approximate a toxic condition. The company also stated that 365 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:33,200 Speaker 1: it believed the testing conducted by authorities used outdated methods 366 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:35,920 Speaker 1: and that the true nature of any chemical found on 367 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:39,320 Speaker 1: the Courta's rag would probably never be known. And really 368 00:22:39,359 --> 00:22:43,040 Speaker 1: the most damning part of the Atlas statement, they made 369 00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:45,439 Speaker 1: a point to say that no one from any of 370 00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:49,120 Speaker 1: the involved authorities or investigative units had even ever come 371 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:52,080 Speaker 1: to the plant. Coal and Curtis did have to walk 372 00:22:52,119 --> 00:22:56,440 Speaker 1: their statement back. Two weeks after the Coal and Curtis statement, 373 00:22:56,560 --> 00:22:59,960 Speaker 1: Atlas Imperial Diesel Engine Company took out a full page 374 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:03,880 Speaker 1: add in the Mattoon Journal Gazette that definitely reads as 375 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:08,000 Speaker 1: though it is post conflict pr It's a statement about 376 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:11,479 Speaker 1: the company that's laid out with fancy graphic treatment. It 377 00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:14,920 Speaker 1: reminds the citizens of Matoon that the company has been 378 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:18,280 Speaker 1: working hard during the war and has made lasting friends. 379 00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:21,479 Speaker 1: It reads in part quote this making of friends builds 380 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:25,639 Speaker 1: job security and business security for US, all security based 381 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:28,960 Speaker 1: on accomplishment. It goes on to say that the war 382 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:32,840 Speaker 1: production months have shown nothing but quality and concludes with quote, 383 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 1: we hear in matun can all face the future knowing 384 00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:41,000 Speaker 1: we have one staunch friends coming up. We'll talk about 385 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:43,720 Speaker 1: the way the gassing panic in Matune seemed to die 386 00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:46,880 Speaker 1: down almost as quickly as it sprang up. But first 387 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:59,560 Speaker 1: we'll pause for a sponsor break. So that statement issued 388 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:02,480 Speaker 1: by the Whole and Curtis team that we talked about 389 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:06,760 Speaker 1: earlier may have included incorrect information from a scientific perspective, 390 00:24:07,359 --> 00:24:09,520 Speaker 1: but it did seem to have a calming effect on 391 00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:12,480 Speaker 1: the town. Just to have some kind of explanation, the 392 00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:17,119 Speaker 1: Mattoon Journal Gazette somewhat playfully reported on September thirteenth the 393 00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:20,639 Speaker 1: police had gotten two calls in the night, one to 394 00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:22,600 Speaker 1: deal with a noise that turned out to be a 395 00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:26,000 Speaker 1: black cat that allegedly purred really loudly, and the other 396 00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:28,879 Speaker 1: was a reported break in that turned out to just 397 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:31,560 Speaker 1: be a doctor breaking into his own office after he 398 00:24:31,680 --> 00:24:35,480 Speaker 1: accidentally left the keys inside. And though there weren't new 399 00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:39,480 Speaker 1: attacks or reports of strange gas exposure, there was this 400 00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:43,119 Speaker 1: lingering fear that someone had been committing these attacks and 401 00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:46,960 Speaker 1: would never be caught. Today, a lot of people chalk 402 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:50,679 Speaker 1: this whole thing up to mass hysteria. It's even used 403 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:53,400 Speaker 1: in college classes as an example of how these kinds 404 00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:57,040 Speaker 1: of things can happen. But there has also been renewed 405 00:24:57,320 --> 00:25:01,240 Speaker 1: interest in that one suspect that was alluded to in 406 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:05,080 Speaker 1: reports of the day but never actually named. In two 407 00:25:05,119 --> 00:25:08,640 Speaker 1: thousand and three, a science teacher named Scott Marona wrote 408 00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:11,359 Speaker 1: a short book in which he dove into the case 409 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:15,679 Speaker 1: and determined that the mass asteria claim was unfair because 410 00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:19,560 Speaker 1: there was a lot of circumstantial evidence that pointed to 411 00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:22,960 Speaker 1: a man named Farley Llewellen. So there's a lot of 412 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:25,919 Speaker 1: conjecture about the motivations that Llewellen may have had. In 413 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:29,320 Speaker 1: this book, and the interviews that Marouna conducted with people 414 00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:31,879 Speaker 1: who lived in Mattune during the ten days of the 415 00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:36,880 Speaker 1: mad Gasser scare all include a whole lot of otherism. 416 00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:40,480 Speaker 1: They all kind of make the Llewellyn family seem like 417 00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:45,080 Speaker 1: odd outsiders with poor hygiene. A description of the family's 418 00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:48,680 Speaker 1: grocery store business describes it as untidy and that there 419 00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:50,840 Speaker 1: were a lot of cats hanging around in it. That 420 00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:53,520 Speaker 1: sounds great to me. I wish my grocery store had kiddies, 421 00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:56,840 Speaker 1: but I know that's not an opinion shared by everyone. 422 00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:00,600 Speaker 1: Farley's father was known for his kindness in generosity. He 423 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:03,840 Speaker 1: was quite well respected, but Farley and his two sisters, 424 00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:08,040 Speaker 1: Florence and Catherine, are definitely characterized as people no one 425 00:26:08,119 --> 00:26:11,240 Speaker 1: seem to like to be around. There's also a suggestion 426 00:26:11,359 --> 00:26:14,080 Speaker 1: that comes out through these interviews that Farley, who lived 427 00:26:14,080 --> 00:26:17,200 Speaker 1: in a trailer behind the family home where he constructed 428 00:26:17,240 --> 00:26:21,199 Speaker 1: a chemistry lab for himself, might have been secretly homosexual. 429 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:24,040 Speaker 1: And this is kind of all laid out like this 430 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:28,119 Speaker 1: whole pastiche of things that could have been wrong with 431 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:31,560 Speaker 1: someone in Matune in nineteen forty four. So it's an 432 00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:34,280 Speaker 1: account that is heavily weighted with the kind of small 433 00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:39,000 Speaker 1: town gossip that is very dehumanizing to people. Apparently, Farley 434 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:42,240 Speaker 1: Llewellen was a very good chemistry student when he attended 435 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:45,440 Speaker 1: the University of Illinois, and Maruna puts forth a theory 436 00:26:45,840 --> 00:26:48,760 Speaker 1: that the gassings were Farley Llewellen's attempt at revenge on 437 00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:51,960 Speaker 1: a town that never embraced him. That's obviously a lot 438 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:57,600 Speaker 1: of theoretical conjecture. Farley is reportedly said to have died 439 00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:00,080 Speaker 1: in a mental institution, and all of the other Llewellyns 440 00:27:00,119 --> 00:27:02,600 Speaker 1: were deceased by the time this book was written, which 441 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:05,320 Speaker 1: is laid out as the reason that locals were finally 442 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:08,800 Speaker 1: comfortable talking about it. And this book offers interesting ideas. 443 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:10,760 Speaker 1: You know, it's all theories, but to be clear, the 444 00:27:10,800 --> 00:27:15,159 Speaker 1: information about Farley Llewellen is based on personal accounts given 445 00:27:15,440 --> 00:27:19,280 Speaker 1: by people almost six decades after the events that they're discussing, 446 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:22,520 Speaker 1: and even in interviews about the book, Maroona has never 447 00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:24,879 Speaker 1: been adamant that he had like cracked this case, but 448 00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:28,160 Speaker 1: stated that this case remains so interesting because of all 449 00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:33,159 Speaker 1: of the possible truths, so it remains a history mystery. 450 00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:39,040 Speaker 1: It does. Indeed. Oh, I like this one because it's 451 00:27:39,160 --> 00:27:44,560 Speaker 1: very interesting. I have lots of feelings about it. I 452 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:48,040 Speaker 1: have listener mail that has got a completely different subject 453 00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:53,400 Speaker 1: from all Right are our listener Jesse, who writes, I've 454 00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:56,000 Speaker 1: been meaning to write this email for almost two years, 455 00:27:56,040 --> 00:27:57,480 Speaker 1: but I always think of it in the midst of 456 00:27:57,520 --> 00:27:59,760 Speaker 1: listening to an episode, which means I'm walking and not 457 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:03,840 Speaker 1: in a good emailing situation. I started listening during the 458 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:06,160 Speaker 1: pandemic and tend to jump around and look for episodes 459 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:08,760 Speaker 1: that sound interesting for a given day. When I saw 460 00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:12,680 Speaker 1: the title Paxton's Crystal Palace. I was immediately intrigued. I'm 461 00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:15,400 Speaker 1: married to someone who loves to watch a variety of sports, 462 00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:18,359 Speaker 1: including soccer. Over the years, I've seen the name of 463 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:21,639 Speaker 1: English Premier League team Crystal Palace scroll by on the 464 00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:24,760 Speaker 1: ticker many times. I can't explain why, but every time 465 00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:27,080 Speaker 1: I see it, I think of some tacky adult entertainment 466 00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:29,760 Speaker 1: venue and always wondered why that is the team's name. 467 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:32,320 Speaker 1: I don't recall anymore, but I don't think you actually 468 00:28:32,359 --> 00:28:34,800 Speaker 1: mentioned the football club in your episode, which prompted me 469 00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:38,160 Speaker 1: to do some additional research on my own. After the 470 00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:41,640 Speaker 1: building was relocated from Hyde Park to Sydenham Hall renamed 471 00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:44,880 Speaker 1: Crystal Palace, the company that owned it started an amateur 472 00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:48,320 Speaker 1: football club in eighteen sixty one. The professional club of 473 00:28:48,360 --> 00:28:51,280 Speaker 1: the same name was formed in nineteen oh five. Could 474 00:28:51,320 --> 00:28:53,160 Speaker 1: I have learned this year's earlier with a quick and 475 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:56,240 Speaker 1: simple Google search. Absolutely, but I'm so glad I happened 476 00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:59,280 Speaker 1: upon the episode and learned the backstory about the building myself. 477 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:02,520 Speaker 1: Is one of our first post COVID travel activities. In 478 00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:05,040 Speaker 1: twenty twenty one, we spent a short weekend in Chicago. 479 00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:09,200 Speaker 1: In addition to an architecture walking tour highly recommend. We 480 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:12,840 Speaker 1: visited the Art Institute of Chicago. We did not recreate 481 00:29:12,840 --> 00:29:15,480 Speaker 1: the Ferris Bueller's day Off experience mentioned by Holly in 482 00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:18,200 Speaker 1: an episode during a listener mail segment, but we did 483 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:21,520 Speaker 1: see the attached painting of the Crystal Palace. We ate 484 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:23,960 Speaker 1: lunch near Haymarket Square, which prompted a listen to the 485 00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:27,560 Speaker 1: Haymarket Riot episode on our drive home. Apologies for this 486 00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:30,120 Speaker 1: lengthy and somewhat rambling email, but I guess that's what 487 00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:32,440 Speaker 1: happens when you have years worth of info to relate. 488 00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:35,200 Speaker 1: My husband is always amazed by the random topics that 489 00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:37,040 Speaker 1: come up where I will say, oh, yeah, I learned 490 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:39,320 Speaker 1: about that on stuff you missed in history class. Thank 491 00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:41,360 Speaker 1: you for making me seem so well educated and for 492 00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:45,880 Speaker 1: all the work you put into making learning about history enjoyable. Jesse, 493 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:48,000 Speaker 1: I love this because it's I mean, this is like 494 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:50,560 Speaker 1: the exciting part of history for me, right, is when 495 00:29:50,600 --> 00:29:54,520 Speaker 1: you realize like the connections of current real world things 496 00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:58,800 Speaker 1: in your life. Yeah, are still touched by things all 497 00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:01,560 Speaker 1: the way back to history. Also listen. I love any 498 00:30:01,600 --> 00:30:04,160 Speaker 1: mention of the Art Institute of Chicago because I love 499 00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:07,320 Speaker 1: that place. So if you are in Chicago. I highly 500 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:11,760 Speaker 1: recommend it's a really good museum. I just love it. 501 00:30:11,760 --> 00:30:14,560 Speaker 1: It's great, and I I like, I actually love the 502 00:30:14,600 --> 00:30:17,920 Speaker 1: idea of like some really weird, techy place having a 503 00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:23,800 Speaker 1: really good football team. So if that happens, fabulous. If 504 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:25,240 Speaker 1: you would like to write to us, you could do 505 00:30:25,320 --> 00:30:28,440 Speaker 1: so at History Podcast at iHeartRadio dot com. You can 506 00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:31,240 Speaker 1: also find us on social media as Missed in History 507 00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:34,120 Speaker 1: and if you haven't subscribed yet easiest Pie, you can 508 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:36,560 Speaker 1: do that on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you listen 509 00:30:36,600 --> 00:30:44,360 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows. Stuff you Missed in History Class 510 00:30:44,400 --> 00:30:48,400 Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 511 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:52,160 Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 512 00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:53,200 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.